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1 December 2009
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Down the local
  TIME GENTLEMEN, PLEASE: HISTORY OF THE BRITISH PUB
Saturday 9 June 2007 7pm-7.40pm
 
 

Time Shift examines the very special place occupied by the pub in British society.

 
 
PUB QUIZ
Test your knowledge of beer and drinking holes
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CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Belban - The Eagle landlord
Pete Brown - author
Jeremy Hardy - comedian and writer
John Pascoe - The Swan landlord
Rowan Pelling - Erotic Review editor
Roger Protz - The Good Beer Guide editor
Andy Thornton - reclamation and salvage expert


External Links

Campaign For Real Ale
News, details of forthcoming Camraevents and how to get involved

Man Walks into a Pub
Website to accompany Pete Brown's history of beer and pubs

The Real Ale Newsgroup
Discuss beer and pubs

Traditional Pub Games
Description of a variety of games

Pubs.com
History from Roman times to the Victorian era

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

  Pete Lawrence Pete Lawrence
Time Shift Series Editor
 
 

The pub is a British institution. In fact a good 'local' is as important to some as a post office, supermarket or place of worship. The image of a warming fire and a jovial landlord, chatting to a core of regulars is certainly enough to entice me out for a pint of 'Old Bob' and a bag of pork scratchings! While such a romantic image is still a reality in many public houses, others have had to react to changing times.

In the 1950s and 60s, pubs tended to be working-class male establishments, but as restaurants flourished and supermarkets increased their off licence capabilities, pub attendances fell. When brewery giant Bass Carrington bought up many of the 3,000 UK smaller breweries in the early 60s, change was inescapable. But for the campaigning of the real ale groups (Camra), many of our traditional ales would also have disappeared in favour of the more profitable designer beers.

Kate Thomas' programme, narrated by Arthur Smith, looks at the transformation of the British pub over the past 50 years.

 


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